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23 chapter Corporate Takeover and Talent Makeover Cast of Characters Fred Foster, district sales manager, ABC-Paramount Records Morty Craft, MGM and Warwick Records Dick Alen, Shaw and William Morris booking agencies also featuring Sam Clark and Larry Newton, ABC-Paramount Records The entrance of ABC-Paramount Records in November 1955 was another indication that the big corporations were waking up to the growth potential in the record market, to the general detriment and ultimate demise of the original stand-alone independents. This intriguing label was an offshoot of the national network American Broadcasting Company (ABC) and Paramount Theatres, which had been merged in February 1953 under the inspired leadership of Leonard Goldenson (who saw television as the golden prize). Paramount Theatres itself had been spun off from Paramount Pictures in 1949 following federal antitrust activity over theater-chain monopolies. In the record stakes, ABC was seeking to emulate NBC with RCA Victor and CBS with Columbia. With this corporate might behind the Am-Par Record Corporation, as it was called, here was a start-up that was as near to a champagne-laden, major label–type launch as could be. Affiliated publishing divisions Pamco (BMI) and Ampco (ASCAP) were registered at the same time. The highly respected Sam Clark was recruited as Am-Par’s president with the promise of initial capital of $500,000 and a 10 percent i-xvi_1-592_Brov.indd 439 11/19/09 10:45:11 AM 440 rock ’n’ roll is here to stay­ equity stake. What must the likes of Hy Weiss and George Goldner have thought of such largesse, even if they were both incapable of working within large corporations? ABC’s strategy toward formal major label status consisted of a two-pronged attack: hiring accomplished A&R men Sid Feller and Don Costa for in-house productions to develop talent, and seeking worthwhile masters to distribute or purchase. ABCParamount , with an open music policy, was a real supporter of the independent ethos from day one, thanks in part to Sam Clark’s indie industry grounding. Clark had arrived at ABC after coming off a stint as national sales manager for Archie Bleyer’s hot Cadence label, having learned the industry ropes as a successful distributor with Music Suppliers of New England in Boston. Sam’s right-hand man was chief administrative officer Harry Levine, the chief talent booker for Paramount Theatres. Even with a fruitful early Walt Disney licensing deal, in the froth of the Davy Crockett cult craze, the lofty aspirations for Am-Par were far from being satisfied.1 The pop division required much better results than the modest hits provided by Bobby Scott and Eydie Gorme. Enter Larry Newton, who, like Sam Clark, was well versed in every aspect of the independent record business. The loud yet charismatic Newton was yet another record man who came from a humble Russian Jewish background. He was raised in Philadelphia where his parents ran a fish store, which, with its perpetual stench, was the type of business that only poor immigrants would take on. Starting out as a record picker and packer at the Columbia Records depot in his hometown, Newton went to New York to work as sales manager for Joe Davis’s Celebrity label and then Paul Reiner’s Black & White imprint before forming Derby Records in June 1949. While operating Derby, Newton dabbled in artist management with Eddie Heller of Rainbow Records before moonlighting, on a small scale, with the launch of Central Records with Lee Magid in 1953. However, Derby Records represented an uneasy mix of pop and R&B, and there were no substantial hits apart from the first chart entrant of “Wheel of Fortune” by the Eddie Wilcox Orchestra with Sunny Gale (No. 13 pop, No. 2 R&B, 1952).2 Catastrophically, Derby overextended itself, forcing Newton to file for bankruptcy in October 1954 with “liabilities of $213,090 and assets of $18,935.” After indefatigable industry veteran Eli Oberstein had come in with a rejected lowball bid of $3,500, RCA Victor ended up with the dated Derby catalog.3 Larry Newton came back fighting in August 1956 when he was recruited by ABCParamount as eastern sales supervisor, only to be promoted hastily to national sales manager. Newton’s relationship with Sam Clark dated back to Clark’s time working for the Boston distributor of Derby Records. A natural-born salesman, Newton could hustle with the best of them. Whenever he wanted favors from a distributor or a disc jockey, one of...

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